(Minghui.org) A Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, man is facing prosecution for his faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Li Kai was arrested on December 16, 2020, while distributing informational materials about Falun Gong at a farmers’ market. The police confiscated his Falun Gong books, materials, computers, ID, apartment title, and household registration record, but they refused to provide a list of confiscated items.

Mr. Li was then taken to the Jinzhou City Detention Center. His arrest was approved by the Linghai Procuratorate on December 29. His family was never notified by the authorities about his case.

When Mr. Li’s lawyer visited him at the detention center on December 28, Mr. Li told him that the prosecutor had questioned him three days ago. Mr. Li also complained about having liver pain; his Hepatitis B that was cured by practicing Falun Gong twenty years ago recurred due to the filthy living environment and mistreatment in the detention center.

Mr. Li’s lawyer went to the Shiqiaozi Police Station to inquire about his case on January 21, 2021. Officer Li Xu said that they were planning to submit his case to the Linghai Procuratorate in a week.

Since August 2020, the Linghai Procuratorate has been assigned to handle all Falun Gong cases in Jinzhou City, as a way to speed up the sentencing process.

The police accused Mr. Li of being a repeat offender, as he had been sentenced for practicing Falun Gong before. The officer threatened him with a heavy term for distributing Falun Gong materials this time.

This wasn’t the first time that Mr. Li has been targeted for his faith, which he credits for improving his health and helping him quit gambling. He was given two labor camp terms for a total of three years and was fired by the Huaguang Power Group where he worked, which caused him tremendous financial difficulty. In April 2015, he was arrested again and sentenced to four years. While he was serving time, his 84-year-old mother passed away, and he wasn’t allowed to see her for the last time.